Jesus was confused into thinking all men would be drawn unto Him. He was under the illusion that His death was sufficient to declare God's love to "all". He did not have our theology, and the clearer understanding of two thousand years of the re-interpretation of His words by men of learning and religious instruction.

"For so it pleased the Father to cause all the fulness of deity to dwell in him(Jesus) and to reconcile all things to Himself(the Father) by the blood of His cross".(from Colossians 1:16-20)

Paul was confused into believing that God Himself put the fulness of Himself in His Son so that the sacrifice of His son would suffice to "reconcile" all- almost as if God thought that the blood of His Beloved Son was worth more than all and even the most heinous sins of mankind.

John was similarly confused

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.(1Jn 2:1,2)

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. (1Cor 15:21,22)

Although modern theologians say all does not mean all, over and over again the writers of the scriptures made it clear that all meant all to them. The fact is that they saw a different outcome for the judgment of God than eternal torment or annihilation. They saw every enemy converted and God filling all in all.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

(1Co 15:22-28)

They saw every knee and every tongue submitting to the Lord Jesus and giving glory to God.

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Php 2:9-11)

John, in the delusion of his ecstasy beyond the veil saw the fulfillment of this strange vision that these ignorant and unlearned men believed inand proclaimed.

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.

(Rev 5:11-14)

When Paul explained "all" to the Colossians, he wrote the following verses.

And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

(Col 1:15-20)

That sounds like the same "all" of John's revelation!

Maybe the learned men of today have unlearned a mystery. Something hidden from them in their religion, but revealed to those early "children" of God.

He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

(Eph 1:9-12)

Paul was under the disturbing delusion that the mystery of the gospel was the "summing up", or as the New American Standard has it, "the gathering together into one(anakephalaiomai) of all things(pas) in Christ".

He believed that our inheritance was participation in an ages long plan that God instituted before the creation to reveal Himself to all. He thought that judgment was corrective and limited in scope to advancing the "kind intention" of the one who causes all things to work according tothe counsel of his will. He thought that God would demonstrate His kindness towards us in Christ the ages to come(Eph 2:7), as participants by inheritance in a plan to"reconcile all things to Himself". He saw the end of the subjection of all enemies to be the beginning of an age wherein God would be "all in all". Look what Paul said about our part in this glorious plan, in Romans 8.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

(Rom 8:18-22)

Paul seemed to think that God had something to do with planning how all this began, and we would have something to do with how all this ends. Paul, John and Peter believed that the end of all things would be the reconciliation and restoration of the whole creation.

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken[c] by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

(Act 2:22-24)

"But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

(Act 3:18-21)

A Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. All things were created through him and he is before all things. For so it pleased the Father to make all the fulness dwell in him and to reconcile all things to Himself through the blood of his cross. This is why Jesus died. He said it himself- "Father forgive them, they know not what they do" and, "If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me". He said "Behold, I am making all things new!".

Behold. See. Understand. The kingdom of heaven is like a measure of leaven hidden in three bushels of meal till the whole things is leavened. A mustard sees that grows into a tree that fills the whole earth, with room among its branches for all of the bird of the air.

Perhaps those who were first to believe, who received the gospel by a direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ understood more than we today, 2000 years and ten thousand denominations removed from that first fresh pure breath of God.

There will be ages. There will be separations. There will be judgments. But the end of all these things, is the reconciliation of all, and the fire will burn only that which refuses to love, until all love God and God is all in all. The blood of Jesus purchased this, and we who were the first to believe have an inheritance in the administration of the fulness of times, and a place of joy and fulfillment as priests of God in the ages to come.

And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

(Rev 21:6-7)

This is why we suffer with Him. This is why we "Take up our cross and follow". He is the ultimate minister of reconciliation and we are preists with him. He is not ashamed to call us "brothers and sisters".

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2Co 5:17-19)

This is the Word. God was "in Christ" reconciling the world unto Himself. The "whole creation" groans together with us in these "birth pangs", they just don't all know it yet.

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

(2Co 4:1-6)

By grace are you saved, through faith, and that is a gift, it did not come from you. God has shut up all in disobedience, that He might be merciful to all. Join the ministry of reconciliation- do not lose heart. The gospel of eternal torment is a false gospel. It is an adulteration of the Word of God. All men will be saved in the end of the ages. When the administration of God is fulfilled and time shall be at an end, death will be swallowed up by immortality and God will be "ALL IN ALL".

Are you so sure that your teachers have given you the truth? Are these are the ravings of madmen and heretics? Consider that all of these scriptures are out of your BIBLE- and consider these words of Paul the apostle, in closing,

For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

(Rom 11:32-36)

Categories: None

Post a Comment

Oops!

Oops, you forgot something.

Oops!

1 Comment

Well written. It still amazes me how powerfully blinding man's traditions are. The pride that blinds us all from truth in the heart. Me thinks that soon a great humbling will come to the proud and hearts will receive the truth as all their traditions will not be able to support them in the storm. God Bless